Distribution lists for electronic messages (such as electronic mail, or E-mail) are sets of contact paths (e.g., E-mail addresses, telephone numbers configured for receiving text messages or social network user names) corresponding to one or more accounts that may be represented or identified by a single contact path. For example, many E-mail systems or clients permit users to manually establish a distribution list by selecting an E-mail address for the distribution list and entering identifying information such as names and E-mail addresses for one or more members. Thus, when a user intends to send an electronic message to each of the members of a distribution list, the user may simply type an address corresponding to the list as a whole, and send the electronic message to that address. Subsequently, once an electronic message is received by a server (e.g., an E-mail server) associated with a distribution list, the electronic message will be routed to each of the members of the distribution list. Information regarding members of a distribution list may be stored in association with the E-mail address for the distribution list, and any messages sent to the E-mail address will be routed to each of the members of the distribution list.
Despite their inherent efficiency, the use of distribution lists, e.g., E-mail lists, has a number of accompanying drawbacks. First, once a distribution list is created, the membership or qualifications of each of the members of the distribution list must be monitored to ensure that each of the members may continue to receive information associated with a topic, a subject or a reason for which the distribution list is created. For example, in a workplace environment, an E-mail distribution list may include personnel involved on a certain project, or personnel having a specific level of security clearance or authorization. If a distribution list is not updated to reflect changes in personnel involved on the project, or changes in their respective levels of security clearance or authorization, then an E-mail sent to a distribution list (which is sometimes called an E-mail chain) may be forwarded to personnel with neither an interest in the E-mail nor an authorization to view it. Furthermore, because many E-mail addresses are defined in a standard form based on first and/or last names of an account holder, when an E-mail address that is associated with a distribution list is assigned to a different person, that person may inadvertently receive E-mails sent to the distribution list, and access or view content included in such E-mails, if aspects of the membership of the distribution list are not regularly monitored for accuracy. For example, if a person who is named Charles Johnson and works at Acme Corporation is assigned an E-mail address of cjohnson@acmecorp.org, and is made a member of a distribution list, others who are assigned that E-mail address in the future, e.g., persons named Catherine Johnson or Charles Johnsonville, will receive E-mails that are sent to the distribution list if the membership of the distribution list is not frequently updated.
Moreover, many electronic communications formats, including but not limited to E-mail, have inherent security limitations. For example, an E-mail message generated by a user of an E-mail client application operating on a computing device is commonly transmitted to one or more E-mail agents and/or servers (e.g., an outgoing and/or an incoming E-mail server, and/or one or more agents operating thereon) before ultimately being transmitted to an E-mail client application of a user for whom the E-mail message is intended. The content of the E-mail may thus pass between and among multiple computing devices, and along multiple connections, any of which may be subject to hacking or theft via one or more surreptitious means. Furthermore, once an E-mail message is transmitted from a sender to a recipient, the E-mail message is downloaded to an E-mail client operated by the recipient, and the recipient may, either intentionally or inadvertently, forward the E-mail message to one or more other recipients who may or may not be authorized to view the content of the E-mail message.